{"product_id":"2940169340044","title":"Republic of Lies: American Conspiracy Theorists and Their Surprising Rise to Power","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis program includes an introduction read by the author.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA riveting tour through the landscape and meaning of modern conspiracy theories, exploring the causes and tenacity of this American malady, from Birthers to Pizzagate and beyond.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAmerican society has always been fertile ground for conspiracy theories, but with the election of Donald Trump, previously outlandish ideas suddenly attained legitimacy. Trump himself is a conspiracy enthusiast: from his claim that global warming is a Chinese hoax to the accusations of \"fake news,\" he has fanned the flames of suspicion.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut it was not by the power of one man alone that these ideas gained new power. \u003ci\u003eRepublic of Lies\u003c\/i\u003e looks beyond the caricatures of conspiracy theorists to explain their tenacity. Without lending the theories validity, Anna Merlan gives a nuanced, sympathetic account of the people behind them, across the political spectrum, and the circumstances that helped them take hold. The lack of a social safety net, inadequate education,   bitter culture wars, and years of economic insecurity have created large groups of people who feel forgotten by their government and even besieged by it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOur contemporary conditions are a perfect petri dish for conspiracy movements: a durable, permanent, elastic climate of alienation and resentment. All the while, an army of politicians and conspiracy-peddlers has fanned the flames of suspicion to serve their own ends.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBringing together penetrating historical analysis and gripping on-the-ground reporting, \u003ci\u003eRepublic of Lies \u003c\/i\u003etransforms our understanding of American paranoia.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Macmillan Audio","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47097881788656,"sku":"2940169340044","price":26.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940169340044_p0.jpg?v=1763680118","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940169340044","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}